Abstract

BARRIENTOS, Christian; QUINTANA, Yasmín; ELIAS, Diego J.  and  RODILES-HERNANDEZ, Rocío. Native fish fauna and artisanal fisheries in the Usumacinta basin, Guatemala. Rev. Mex. Biodiv. [online]. 2018, vol.89, suppl., pp.118-130. ISSN 2007-8706.  https://doi.org/10.22201/ib.20078706e.2018.4.2180.

The native fish fauna was characterized in 20 sites along three drainage areas of the Usumacinta river basin in northwestern Guatemala to understand the native fish fauna contribution and its importance to artisanal fisheries. We collected fish using different fishing gears, and we assessed the relevance of fish species to the artisanal fishery through surveys based on aquatic transects, interviews with fishermen and fish markets sellers. A total of 54 species, 38 genera, 18 families, and eight orders were identified. The most abundant families were Characidae, Cichlidae, and Poeciliidae. In terms of richness, 68% of the species corresponded to Cichlidae and Poeciliidae. At least 38 native and 7 non-native species were identified as part of the artisanal fishery, with Centropomus undecimalis., M. atlanticus, and A. tropicus having high commercial value. Seven non-native species were identified, all of them part of the artisanal fishery except for species in the genus Pterygoplichthys. Two main groups were identified: the lowlands of Petén and the other in the highlands of Verapaces, accordingly the artisanal fishery in those 2 zones. Analysis suggests that regardless of the presence of non-native species, the artisanal fishery in the Usumacinta basin continues to rely on native species. This study underscores the importance of native species to local artisanal fisheries, and the need for strategies to conserve and manage the basin and control introduced Pterygoplichthys spp. genus to prevent the spread of the population and the negative effects on the native fish community.

Keywords : Cichlidae; Poeciliidae; Northern CentralAmerica; Non-native fish; Ichthyofauna.